6023 Spring Doins ANZA EXPEDITIONS History

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gusty winds and blowing silt, something experienced many times by all active Clampers, made the situation even more miserable. The building of the hut was intended to take one day, but by nightfall it remained unfinished, delaying the expedition for another day. Supplies were left for the priests, servants, and helpers to last until the main party returned. This task completed, the expedition left for San Gabriel on December 4, 1775. They pushed on along the now-familiar trail to Santa Olaya, as on the first expedition. Since the next segment of the trail was difficult and water sources were undependable, they rested for two days to strengthen the animals for the journey ahead. Remembering his difficulties in this region on his first trip, and now encumbered with a party eight times as large, he sent out scouts so that he could be sure that water would be available when needed. The trip from Santa Olaya to San Sebastian, through today’s Imperial Valley and beside the Salton Sink, would need to be planned in great detail. To this end, he divided his people into three groups, whose movements would be staggered over three days. Anza, along with Font, a mule train, and a dozen soldiers and their families, would go first. The second group, of similar size, would leave 24 hours later. These groups would go over the same route used on the first expedition. The last party, made up of the remaining soldiers and cattle drivers leading 350 cattle, would cut across and go directly from Santa Olaya to San Sebastian, requiring a drive of two or three days without water for the cattle. All the groups would meet again at the southern end of Coyote Canyon. This part of the journey was difficult, and required the cleaning and digging out of several springs in order to provide enough water. At one point they had to resort to carrying water to the livestock in tightly-woven baskets, a very tedious task. To compound the misery the weather was cold, and they encountered rain and wet snow. In the end, the cold weather proved a blessing, as the animals fared better than if it had been hot, but several people suffered frostbite. Despite their myriad problems, all the people and the great majority of the animals came through safely to San Sebastian, where a day was spent recuperating and grazing the livestock. Coyote Canyon was reached on Christmas Eve, when a baby was born. The settlers were issued a ration of aguardiente, and there was considerable drunkenness. Father Font, always critical of Anza, blamed the commander for letting such a thing happen on a holy day, and discussed the incident at great length in his journal. There was not enough water for all of the cattle, so they were sent on ahead while the expedition remained in camp on Christmas Day. Following their previous trail, they arrived on the banks of the Santa Ana River on New Year’s Eve. As a result of the wet weather, the Santa Ana River was running strong and deep, so the makeshift bridge used in the previous expedition was repaired, and a ford that would allow the animals, freed of packs and riders, to cross on 14
their own was located. The operation took the whole day, and despite all efforts, a bull and a horse were drowned and swept downstream. The next night the expedition camped again at Arroyo de los Osos (San Antonio Creek), and another day’s travel brought them again to San Gabriel. No longer a starving frontier outpost, since De Anza’s last visit the mission had been moved about three miles to the north to a dependable water source, and was now thriving. Font wrote that “Overall, the entire organization of the mission seemed to me excellent….” At the time of his arrival, there had been an Indian uprising at Mission San Diego, and there was fear, later proved unfounded, of a general Indian revolt throughout the region. On January 7, 1776 Anza, military governor Fernando Rivera de Moncada, Father Font, and 30 soldiers started there to aid in putting down the rebellion. The survivors, living at the presidio after the mission buildings had been burned and expecting another attack, joyfully greeted the reinforcements. Anza was anxious to resume his journey, but felt that duty required him to remain available to Rivera at San Diego. As January turned into February, with yet no plans for a military campaign by Rivera, Anza decided to resume his original task of moving the settlers and their goods to San Francisco. Adding impetus to this plan was the fact that the massive influx of the Anza party at San Gabriel was literally causing starvation at the mission. Anza, far from home and faced with conflicting duties, had to decide on his own how to proceed. Driven both by his commission from the Viceroy and his duty as a military officer, he was in pulled two directions at once. He coordinated with Rivera, who was opposed to the plan to settle San Francisco because of the revolt (Anza felt the danger was greatly overstated), and it was decided that Rivera would stay at San Diego and Anza would continue on his original mission. Although both men were cordial, this compromise decision caused a permanent rift in their relations. Anza determined that he would lead his people beyond Santa Barbara, which had a large Indian population which had recently attacked Spanish travelers. Once past the threat, the expedition would proceed on its own to Mission San Luis Obispo while Anza went ahead to reconnoiter the San Francisco area in advance of the settlers. San Gabriel to Monterey Finally, on February 21, having wasted a month and a half at San Gabriel, the expedition headed north once again. That night they camped at Cahuenga, a low pass through the hills, now within the city of Glendale. From here they basically followed the route of today’s Highway 101. They were now on the Camino Real, which had been in use since 1769 and was well known to the travelers. They passed many Chumash villages, and Font left detailed descriptions of the people and their habits in his journal. Fears of attack were quickly allayed, and the journey proved relatively easy through this region. They 15
Page 1 and 2: 1
Page 3 and 4: In 1767 King Carlos III expelled th
Page 5 and 6: 35 mule loads of supplies and 65 he
Page 7 and 8: Colorado River to San Gabriel Tubac
Page 9 and 10: Bautista Canyons, both oriented in
Page 11 and 12: San Gabriel to Monterey and return
Page 13: The next day’s start went more sm
Page 17 and 18: eached San Luis Obispo without inci
Page 19 and 20: San Gabriel to Monterey and beyond
Page 21 and 22: Appendix Beginning in 1759, the Jes
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6023 Spring Doins ANZA EXPEDITIONS History

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